The Alamo

0 of 0 people found the following review helpful:

when did film music get this good?, 2007-09-01
Carter Buswell's eclectic score underscores the emotional urgency of the film it accompanied. Of the two products, it may prove the more enduring. br / br /At times lush, at other times haunting, occasionally hokey--in keeping with the down-home and humorous moments of the film's narrative--Buswell has married banjos, snare drums, and conventional orchestral scoring to produce twenty-six musical vignettes of remarkable emotional potency. br / br /This is not great stand-alone music. But it is a very fine motion picture soundtrack perfectly tailored for a film that traffics in heroism and bold lines rather than nuance and subtlety. br / br /A keeper.

2 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

Don't Remeber THIS "Alamo", 2006-07-21
When making another version of a film that has already been made producers,directors,performers,and score composers are too often tempted to "do it differently",as if by twisting and turning a basic premise they will succeed..The classic film version of"The Alamo"is and remains the John Wyane version,which was nominated for several academy awards.Granted,the John Wyane version had little to do with actual history,but,then again,the purpose of the film industry has always been to entertain,not to teach..John Wyane,who produced and directed,as well as being the star of that film chose Dimitri Tiomkin to score his film. br /Tiomkin,and old-line symphonic genius,provided a magnificent score,at once adventurous and poingnant.. br /The people responsible for this version of"The Alamo"decided to teach,rather than entertain,and,at the same time attempted to be politically correct as well.Thus,the mythic aspects inherent in the John Wyane version were replaced by morally ambiguous nonsense,and heroics were more or less eliminated in favor of a rather desperate survival theme,coupled with some added imperialistic touches with the addition of the Sam Houston charecter as a major player along with Bowie,Crockett,and Travis. br /The people responsible for this film ,having many fine symphonic-oriented composers to choose from instead opted for minalmism by Carter Burwell..One can hardly imagine,for instance,a five-star gourmet meal served on a foam plate,with plastic knife and fork.Likewise one can hardly imagine a would-be epic western (even if it is very revisionist)bearing a score that plays like a new-age snoozer...But this is exactly what Burwell has given us...There are no epic themes here...There is an enormous orchestra credited as having participated in this project however when one listens to the finished product one is hard-pressed to HEAR any evidence of this participation. br /John Wyane's script called for a lot of action on-screen,and Tiomkin obligingly provided very suitable musical themes.. br /The script for this new film does not call for very much action,even short-changing the audience during the final battle scene by shooting it in near-darkness,and underscoring it with a dirge-like monotone. br /This new film was"troubled"from the very start.Ron Howard was supposed to direct but he didn't.The cast was shuffled around several times.Some "Main"charecters were eliminated entirely ,although thier traces continued to show up in the trailers released for this movie..While on the subject of the trailers for this film,the music used in them was 110% better than the Burwell claptrap..Scenes featured in the trailers were actually NOT in the finished film.The film was scheduled for a christmas opening,a slot usually reserved for top-of-the-line oscar contenders,and was then,suddenly yanked,and later released in April,where it died a much-deserved death after about a week in theatres,a colossal flop. br /The film was terrible,and part of this is due to the Burwell score which is terrible-plus.

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

Defending the Alamo, 2005-09-09
I enjoyed the film and, in particular, the intelligent and sensitive portrayal of David Crockett but...so much had been cut by the time it was released as a DVD in England. The soundtrack is pleasant enough so if you liked it on the screen you will enjoy the CD but we do not have the Deguello on its own, (but have the haunting duo with David Crockett's fiddle), and we do not have the saucy little tune played at San Jacinto. On balance, worth buying.

1 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

Excellent CD, 2005-06-22
This is an excellent CD. If you are interested in this CD you will love "Audio Tour of the Alamo and Old San Antonio of the Wild West". This CD will gudie you around the Alamo Battlefield in present day San Antonio sshowing yu the actual locations of events of the battle. To hear a sample of this audio tour go to br /http:www.alamoaudiotours.com you can also purchase this CD here on Amazon.com

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

Enjoyable a-typical score, 2005-03-05
Most war movies have underscore's that pulse with energy and power of battle. Carter Burwell takes another course. His music is melancholy and some people have taken the celtic sounding music and complained out it but I found the music to be powerful and perfectly fitting with the movie. The Alamo is also enjoyable as a single listening experience although it does help to have seen the movie. I particularly enjoyed the track where Crockets fiddle is combined with the Mexican "Slit Throat" band. Overall, I found this cd to be enjoyable and it gets better every time i listen to it.